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Counseling program catches kids falling through the cracks in Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The numbers are in for a new program in the Manatee County School District. School leaders teamed up with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to form a program called “Handle with Care.”

“The idea is to give the schools a heads up that something fairly serious happened last night and the student isn’t at the top of their game,” said School Programs Director Michael McCann.

He said the deputies will notify the school if a child is present during a crime or a domestic abuse situation. Deputies sent out nearly 50 notes last semester. McCann said they’ve been handing the notes out at low-income and high-income schools.

“The more affluent zip codes are reporting the domestic violence situations,” said McCann.

School counselors will speak to the student to see if they need counseling after going through the trauma.

Other school districts in the state are considering the “Handle with Care” program.

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